Does anyone know whether participating in a public forum like this could used in future proceedings against the user or their employer as evidence of 'willful infringement'?
I vaguely recall something about large corporations discouraging engineers from reading potentially relevant patents due to the possibility of greater damages if they were later proved infringing, since demonstrating that they didn't take any inspiration or details from the patent is quite difficult.
Not wanting to spread FUD or anything, but it strikes me as a potential exploit for patent trolls to discourage participation if it's a significant risk.
I have been asked by my employer (a large software company) to avoid looking at patents in any form. It is precisely because, as you cite, it exposes the entire company to willful infringement claims around any patents that I were to view.
I vaguely recall something about large corporations discouraging engineers from reading potentially relevant patents due to the possibility of greater damages if they were later proved infringing, since demonstrating that they didn't take any inspiration or details from the patent is quite difficult.
Not wanting to spread FUD or anything, but it strikes me as a potential exploit for patent trolls to discourage participation if it's a significant risk.